Meter locking mechanism fob mail



Sept. 12, 1950 c. 0. RYAN ETAL METER BOCKING MECHANISM FOR MAIL TREATINGMACHINES Original Filed April 29, 1940 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 COMMODORE D.RYAN FRANK I SAGER DEC. HARRY L SAGER EX. ERNEST R. BERGMARK HERSCHEL L.ATHE TTOR EY5 Sept. 12, 1950 c. D. RYAN ETAL 2,522,237

METER LOCKING uzcn'mzsu FOR MAIL TREATING MACHINES Original Filed Apiil29-, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 COMMODORE D R YAN FRANK P. SAGER DEC. HARRYL.$AGER EX.

ERNEST R. BERGMARK HERSCHEL LATHER TON Sept. 12, 1950 v c'. D. RYAN ETAL2,522,237

METER LOCKING MECHANISM FOR MAIL TREATING MACHINES Original Filed April29, .1940 4 Shets-Sheet 5 COMMODORE 0. RYAN FRANK P. SAGER DEC. HARRY L.SAGER .EX. ERNEST R. BERGMARK w HERSCHEL LATHERTO 33 1 Q W m y i Sept.12, 1950 c. D. RYAN ETAL 2,522,237

METER LOCKING MECHANISM FOR MAIL TREATING MACHINES Original Filed April29, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet -4 COMMODORE D.RYAN 40 FRANK P. SAGER 05c. I 970HARRY L. .sAcER Ex.

' ERNEST R-BERGMARK HERSCHEL L. ATHERTo/v Patented Sept. 12, 1950 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE METER LOOKING MECHANISM FOR ll/IAIL TREATINGMACHINES tion of Delaware Original application April 29, 1940, SerialNo. 332,305, now Patent No. 2,371,070, dated March 6, 1945. Divided andthis application November 29, 1944, Serial No. 565,750

9 Claims.

This invention relates to locking mechanism and more particularly tolocking mechanism used in mail treating machines.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a new and improvedlocking mechanism. Another object is to provide mechanism of the abovecharacter which is simple, thoroughly durable, and practical. Anotherobject is to provide a construction of the above character which formsan eflicient locking mechanism which protects the meter from beingtampered with. Another is to provide a construction of the abovecharacter which is characterized by its sturdy construction and is welladapted to withstand the strains of hard usage. Still another object isto provide mechanism or the above character which may be easilyoperated. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists, in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, all as will beillustratively described herein, and the scope of the application whichwill be indicated in the following claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of thevarious possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a meter for a mail treating machine;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken through the base of the metershown in Figure 1 and showing a portion of the power plant of a mailtreating machine on which the meter is mounted;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but with the meter and certainparts on the power plant in difterent relative positions;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but with certain parts indifferent relative positions;

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on the line B--3 of Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line l'! of Figure 4 withcertain parts of the power plant being shown;

Figure 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 88 of Figure 4; and,

Figure 9 is a side elevation of certain parts mounted on the power planttaken on the line 9,-9 of Figure 3.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

This application is a division of Patent No. 2,371,070, which was filedon April 29, 1940.

Referring now to the drawings, the locking mechanism describedhereinafter locks the meter, generally indicated at ill, to the powerplant of a mail treating machine. In mounting meter [0 (Figure 1) uponthe power plant, it is necessary that the meter be properly positionedon plate 919 of the power plant to establish the drive connectionbetween the meter and the power plant. It is also necessary that themeter be held firmly in position on the power plant so that it cannotmove during its operation and it is desirable that locking mechanism beprovided which prevents the meter from being taken oil of the powerplant in the middle of a cyclical operation or being operated after themeter has been removed from the power plant. To properly position themeter upon the power plant, positioning and locking pins 983, 98 i, and985 (Figures l, 2, and 3) are provided. When the meter is mounted uponthe power plant meter supporting plate 919, these pins extend throughthree spaced openings 992, 993, and 994 which openings are more or lessegg shaped, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

When mounting the meter on power plant plate 912, its three locking pins983, 984, and 985 are entered into the larger end of the three openings992, 993, and 994, as shown in Figure 2, and means are provided forshifting the meter until its pins engage the smaller ends of saidopenings. The meter is provided with a positioning pin 995 (Figures 1,and 3) which extends through an elongated opening 996 formed in plate9'50 against which pin the meter positioning and locking lever 99!engages during the rotation of said lever about its pivot pin 998 toshift the meter from its mounting position, as shown in Figure 2, to itslocked operative position, as shown in Figure 3.

The means for operating the meter positioning and locking lever 99!includes crank handle 999 pivotally mounted on a bracket I63 by a shaft164. Crank handle 9&9 is connected to a crank arm Milli; (Figures 2 9)through lugs 998a and 2992;. Crank arm lfltll (Figure 3) is connected tothe meter positioning and locking lever 99? by means of a connecting rodI602. The forward end of connecting rod H302 is pivotally connected tothe meter positioning and locking lever 99'! by a ball joint H303. Thisball joint includes a ball-like member 5894 slidably mounted onconnecting rod H3132. Member I604 sets against a semi-spherical surfaceI985 formed on the right-hand end (Figure 3) of lever 991 and is held inengagement with surface I605 by a compression spring M06 which is undercompression between member IBM and a collar I007 fastened to connectingrod I602. The compression spring is arranged to yieldingly urge lever39! against a connecting rod stop collar I808 securely fastened upon theconnecting rod IililZ, as shown in Figure 2.

Due to the above described construction the meter positioning andlocking lever Q9! will be positively returned to its unlocked position,as shown in Figure 2, by the connecting rod collar IfiilS directlyengaging the positioning and looking lever 991.

It is preferable to provide the rear end of connecting rod 1802 with agoose neck portion 1909 (Figures 3 and 9) to enable the operating crankarm I000 to pass over center when the meter is positioned and lookedupon the power plant and the crank arm is held in this over centerlocking position by the tension of compression spring I656.

The rotation of crank handle 999 from its retracted position of Figure 2to its locking position of Figure 3, will through its connectingmechanism rotate the meter positioning and locking lever 99? in acounterclockwise direction and during this rotation will engage themeter positioning pin 995, and through such engagement will move themeter into its operative locked position.

I The movement of the meter into its operative position as shown inFigure 3 is employed to lock the meter to the supporting plate 970 byproviding, adjacent the smaller end of each of the three openings formedin the meter supporting plate, locking members i518, Elli I, and Ifliteach of which is provided with a cam surface IBIS (Figures 2, 3, 6, and8) for engaging the annular locking grooves 988 formed in the meterpositioning and locking pins. The engaging surfaces formed between thelocking members and meter pins are tapered as shown in the drawings fordrawing the meter down tightly onto the plate when moved into its lockedposition and for pulling pins 98 and 985 downwardly to unlock the meter,as will be described hereinafter. As shown in the drawings, the lockingmembers may be fastened to the under surface of meter supporting plate916 by rivets MM, (Figures 2 and 3).

The advantage of the mechanism just described permits the meter to beplaced onto the meter supporting plate 91% and then moved rearwardly andto the left, as viewed in Figures 2 and 3, along the surface of saidplate into its operative position, at which time the coupling $82 on thepower plant which supplies power to the meter is couplied to thecoupling I6 I! connected to the main drive shaft IBIS of the meter. Toremove the meter from the power plant, crank handle 999 is moved to itsunlocked position, as shown in Figure 2, and at this time the metermaybe removed from its engagement with locking members acre, IBM 5, andIGIE and then lifted upwardly from plate 973. The horizontal movement ofthe meter to or from its operative position is employed to connect ordisconnect the meter driving coupling 922. In Figure 2, the coupling isshown disconnected and the meter ready to be lifted from the powerplant, while in Figure 3, the coupling is shown connected and the meteris in its normal driving position.

The meter positioning and locking means just described provides a simpleand effective mechanism for mounting the meter upon the power plant inits correct operating relation thereto or for removing the metertherefrom. It insures the correct aligning and connecting of the drivingcoupling 982 with coupling It IT so that when the meter is moved to itsoperative position, it is automatically coupled with the power plantdriving mechanism so that the printing drum within the printing drumhousing 988 (Figure 1) may be driven when the power plant mechanism isactuated. The meter driving couplings 982 and IBI'I are of the typecommonly used in machines of this character in which the two parts canbe connected only when presented in proper relation. The coupling 982 isoperatively connected to the power plant driving mechanism while thecoupling Hill is connected to the adjacent end of the meter drive shaftHHS.

Positioning and locking pins 984 and 985, together with mechanismassociated with them, prevent operation of the meter when it is removedfrom the power plant and also prevent removal of the meter from thepower plant in the middle of a cyclical operation. Positioning pin 985(Figures i and 5) has a vertically extending shank I62? passing througha guide bore I528 (Figure 5), formed in flange I529, which flange ispreferably formed as an integral portion of the meter end plate 2826 andextends forwardly therefrom. The upper end of shank IE2? is slidablyguided in lug I530, which lug preferably is formed as an integral partof the meter rear plate I926. The shank at its upper end is providedwith a locking head I53 I. The locking pin 885 is yieldingly urgedupwardly by interposing a compression spring I532 between the topsurface of flange I629 and collar I633, which collar is securelyfastened to said shank by means of taper pin I634.

The flange portion Ifi29 is provided with a suitable counterbore I635 topermit a limited upward movement of said pin until its enlarged portioni536 seats against the upper end of said counterbore. When the lockingpin is in the above mentioned position, namely when its head portionI536 seats against the upper end of the counterbored portion I335, asshown in Figure 4, the

.. locking head ldSi of said shank will move into locking engagementwith a suitable lockin notch I837 formed in the hub portion I638 of agear pinned to the counter-shaft shaft I944, thereby securely lockingthe countershaft from rotation in a clockwise direction, as viewed inFigures 4 and 5, while the reverse rotation of the countershaft islocked by the main shaft ratchet wheel IGI3 and a pair of pawls IGiE andI620 coacting therewith.

The positioning and locking pin 285 is moved downwardly to release itslocking head i631 from the locking notch ISS'l when the meter is in itsoperative position on the power plant as is clearly shown in Figures 5and 6. This action is due to the engagement of the cam surfaces formedupon the lower end of the locking pin 985 and locking member 5M2 whichmember is mounted upon the powe plant meter supporting plate 910 andwhich cams the pin 985 downwardly during the movement of the meter intoits locked position in the manner previously described.

Positioning and locking pin 964 is similar in construction to thelocking pin 985 and is provided with a shank I669 extending throughguide bore I646 formed in flange I629 and through bracket I625. The pin984 is yieldingly urged upwardly by means of. compression spring I64Iinterposed between the upper surface of flange I629 and collar I642which collar is securely fastened to said shank by means of taper pinI643. The upper end of shank I639 is bifurcated to re ceive a lockinglever I644 (Figure 8) and is pivotally connected to said lever by meansof pin I645 (Figures 4 and 8) which pin engages a longitudinal slot I666formed in said lever. One end of lever I644 is mounted upon pivot pinI641 which pin is suitably fastened to the meter end plate I626 and thelever is maintained upon said pivot pin by means of washer I 648 andcotter pin I649.

The locking lever I644 is provided with two arms, an upper arm I656 anda lower arm I 65L The locking lever upper arm I656 is provided with adownwardly directed locking finger I652 which is arranged to cooperatewith looking notch I653 formed in the periphery of locking disc I654which disc is preferably formed as an integral portion of the ratchetwheel I6 I 3.

The lower arm I65I of the locking lever I664 is provided with an arcuatecam surface I655 engaging a cooperating cam surface I formed on theupper end of plunger I651 which. plunger slid-- ably extends throughbracket I625 and the end plate flange I629. The plunger is yieldinglyurged downwardly by interposing compression spring I658 between theundersurface of bracket I625 and a collar I659 secured to said plungerby means of taper pin I666. The collar I659 is provided with an annulargroove I66I into which the free end of arm I662 of bellcrank: lever I666operatively engages. The bellcrank lever I669 is pivotally'mounted uponthe ratchet pawl pivot pin I62I and is interposed between ratchet leverI 626' and the front face of the meter rear plate I926. A locking fingerI664 is formed upon the upper arm I665 of bellcrank lever I663 andcooperates with looking notch I666, which locking notch is formed in theratchet wheel locking disc I 654.

The operation of this portion of the locking mechanism is briefly asfollows:

When the meter is removed from the power plant, the positioning andlocking pin 964 is moved upwardly under the influence of spring I64Iuntil the enlarged portion I661 of the pin seats in the upper end ofcounterbore I666 (Figure 4). This upward movement of the looking pinrotates the locking lever I644 about its pivot I641 in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in Figure 5. This clockwise rotation of lockinglever I644 rotates the locking finger I664 of the bellcrank lever I663into locking engagement with the notch I666 formed in said ratchet wheellocking disc as is clearly shown in Figure 4. The motion is transmittedfrom the locking lever to the bellcrank through plunger I651, and itscollar I659, to the arm I662 of said bellcrank lever. When the meter isremoved from the power plant, the locking finger I 664 of bellcrank I663, entering the locking notch I666, positively locks the drivinmechanism of the meter against operation in either direction. It alsoretracts the point I669 of plunger I651 into its guide bore I610 topermit the placement or meter from the power plant.

\ When. the meter isv correctly positioned and removal of the lockedupon the power plant, the locking and positioning pin 984 will bewithdrawn a predetermined distance due to the engagement of the camsurface N3 of locking member Hill and the surface 986 of pin 985. Thisposition of the parts is clearly shown in Figure 8 and the downwardmovement of the locking pin 984 acts to rotate its connected lockinglever I644 in a counterclockwise direction and through its con nectionwith plunger I651 will swing the bellcrank I663 in a clockwise directionto remove the bellcrank locking finger I664 from engagement with thelocking notch I 666 thereby releasing the power plant driving mechanismfor operation. I

The counterclockwise rotation of locking lever I664 swings the lockingfinger I652, carried by its arm portion I656 to a position directlyadjacent but not entering the. locking notch I 653, as is clearly shownin Figure 5. It will be understood that finger I652 of the locking leverI 644 does not enter into locking engagement with the locking disc whenthe locking pin 984 is pulled downwardly during the movement of themeter into operative position upon the power plant.

When the meter is removed from the power plant, should it be attemptedto actuate the meter by pulling out the locking pin 984, there is no Wayfor the person attempting such manipulation to know when the locking pinhas reached its meter releasing position. If the pin is not moved farenough, the locking finger I 664 will not be released from its lockingnotch I666 or if the pin is pulled out too far, the locking finger I652carried'by arm I650 of the locking lever will enter into lockingengagement with the locking disc notch I653, thereby locking the meterdriv ing mechanism against operation.

The adjustment of pin 984 to operating position which is between the twojust referred to locking positions of the mechanism is so critical thatit necessitates a very accurate positioning of pin 984 to render themachine operative. This feature is incorporated for the purpose ofdiscouraging attempts to tamper with the meter when removed from thepower plant. If the person attempting to tamper with the machine,manipulated only the positioning and, locking pin 984 and did not at thesame time pull outwardly upon the locking pin 985, an d did in freeingthe machine for operation, it would turn the undercut portion of thelocking n ch I631 under the head portion. I63I of locking pin 985 and asa result thereof would not only look the driving mechanism of themachine against openation, but would also lock the locking pin 965against outward movement. As the meter driving mechanism can not berotated in a re versed direction to release the engagen'ient of notchI631 with the head I66I, the meter would require returning for servicingin order to place it back in its normal operative condition.

I As a further precaution to discourage tampering with the meter whileit is removed from the power unit, the positioning and locking :pincompression springs I 632 and I64! are ofsuflicient strength to preventmanual manipulation of the pins. It would require special tools in orderto accomplish the proper actuation of the pins to release the meter foroperation.

Emergency means are provided for role the meter from the power plantshould the di ing mechanism of the meter or power plant become jammed orstuck during the operating cycle of the machine. This means includesproviding the meter supporting plate 910 of the power plant with a discI61I (Figures 2, 3, and '1) which disc is journaled in a suitable boreI612 extending through said plate so that the upper surface of said discis flush with the top surface of said plate. The disc is providedadjacent its lower surface with a flange for supporting it to plate 916by means of headed rivets I613 as is clearly shown in Figures 3 and 7,where it will be observed that the flange portion of the disc I6II isretained between the heads of said rivets I613 and the bottom surface ofthe meter supporting plate 910.

In order to assemble disc I61I, its flanged portion is provided with twonotches I514 positioned to register with the heads of rivets I613 inorder to permit the disc to be inserted into the bore I612 when the discis turned to an extreme inoperative position. The disc I61I is providedwith an arm I615 (Figures 2 and 3) having a right angled end portionI616 which right angled end portion is secured to a post I611 by aheaded locking pin I618 (Figure '1) which pin extends through alignedbores formed in said post and portion I616 of said arm. The post I611 issecurely riveted to the under surface of plate 916. The end of pin I618is provided with a transverse bore through which wires I619 are passed.The ends of the wires are fastened together by means of a lead seal I680applied by an official of the Post Ofiice Department. A conicaldepression I68I (Figure 7) is provided in the upper surface of disc I61Ieccentric to the axis of rotation thereof to receive the point I669 ofplunger I651 when the meter is locked. in its operative position.

During the removal of the meter from the power plant, the taperedsurfaces of the plunger point I689 and conical depression I68I will camthe plunger upwardly against the tension of its spring I658. This upwardmovement of the plunger will cause the bellcrank I663 to rotate aboutits pivot in a counterclockwise direction and as the meter drivingmechanism is in its rest position, the locking finger I664 of this levermay enter the locking disc notch I656. However, should it be attemptedto remove the meter from the power plant while the driving mechanism ofthe meter is in some other position than its normal rest position, theend of locking finger I664 will engage the periphery of locking discI665 thereby preventing the camming of the end of plunger I651 from theconical depression I68I and as a result, the meter cannot be removedfrom the machine until the parts are returned to their rest position.This is for the purpose of preventing the removal of the meter while thestamp printing die is located opposite the printing aperture in theprinting drum cover 986.

In the event that the mechanism in the meter or the power plant becomesinoperative through jamming, when the driving and driven mechanism ofsaid meter and power plant are out of normal rest position, it will beimpossible to remove the meter from said power plant in the normal andabove described manner and it will necessitate the service of anauthorized oificial of the Post Oiilce Department to break the sealI680, remove the wire I619 from the end of the headed locking pin i6l'8and thereafter withdraw the said headed locking pin from the end I616 ofthe disc arm i615 and thereafter to rotate the disc by means ofmanipulating the arm I615 while simultaneously actuating the meterlocking crank handle 969 and thereby permitting the pointed end I669 ofplunger I651 to travel during the movement of the locking andpositioning pins along their respective slots until the pins are free oftheir respective locking members, whereupon the meter may be lifted fromthe power plant.

Thus it will be seen that pins 984 and 985 control the operation of themeter preventing rotatiton of the printing drum when the meter is notmounted on the power plant and also preventing the removal of the meterfrom the power plant when the printing drum is not in its rest position.Accordingly, an efficient and practical locking mechanism whichaccomplishes the objects hereinabove described, as well as many others,has been disclosed.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, allwithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is to beunderstood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings, is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine including a meterand a power plant, said meter being detachably mounted on said powerplant, in combination, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from saidmeter, said pins being capable of being withdrawn from said meter,locking means for locking the mechanism of said meter, means connectingsaid locking means and said pins, said pins when withdrawn from saidmeter acting to unlock said locking means, and means on said power plantacting to withdraw said pins from said meter and thus unlock themechanism of said meter when said meter is mounted on said power plant.

2. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine including a meterand a power plant, said meter being detachably mounted on said powerplant, in combination, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from saidmeter, locking means for locking the mechanism of said meter, meansconnecting said locking means and said pins, said locking means being inlocking position when said meter is not mounted on said power plant, andcam means on said power plant engaging cam surfaces on said pins to movesaid pins as said meter is moved into mounted position, movement of saidpins moving said locking means to unlocked position.

3. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine including a powerplant having a meter detachably mounted thereon, said meter havingmechanism which is cyclically operated, in combination, a plurality ofpins extending from said meter, locking means for locking the mechanismof said meter, means connecting said locking means and said pins, saidlocking means being in locked position when said meter is not mounted onsaid power plant, means on said power plant operatively engaging saidpins when said meter is mounted on said power plant, said last-mentionedmeans acting through said pins to move said locking means to unlockedposition as said meter is locked in position on said power plant, and alocking pin actuated by one of said pins for locking said meter to saidpower plant when said locking means is moved to an unlocked position,said locking pin extending into said power plant, and means prevetingremoval of said'lock ing pin from said power plant during a cycle ofoperation.

4. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine, including a powerlant having a meter detachably mounted thereon, the mechanism of saidmeter being cyclically operated from a rest position, in combination, apin mounted on said meter, said pin having a mushroom shaped head, saidpower plant having a hole therein into which said pin extends when saidmeter is mounted on said power plant, said meter being mounted on saidpower plant by sliding said meter with respect to said power plant withsaid pin in said hole, means on said power plant adjacent said hole foracting on the head of said pin to withdraw said pin from said meter,locking mechanism associated with said pin, said looking mechanismlocking said meter when said meter is detached from said power plant,said last-mentioned means acting through said pin to unlock said meterwhen said meter is mounted on said power plant, a locking pin, meansoperatively connecting said locking pin with said firstmentioned pin,said locking in extending into a hole in said power plant when it is inlocked posi tion and being moved into locked position when saidfirst-mentioned pin is moved to unlocked position, and means associatedwith said locking pin to prevent its withdrawal from said power plantand thus prevent the removal of said meter from said power plant whenthe mechanism of said meter is not in rest position.

5. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine including a meterand a power plant, said meter detachabiy mounted on said power plant, incombination, a plurality of pins extending outwardly from said meter,locking means for locking the mechanism of said meter, means connectingsaid pins and said locking means, said locking means being in lockedposition when said meter is not mounted on said power plant, and meanson said power plant engaging said pins to withdraw them from said meteras said meter is mouted on said power plant, movement of said pinsmoving said looking means to unlocked position.

6. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine, including a meterand a power plant, said meter being detachably mounted on said powerplant, in combination, a substantially flat meter supporting platemounted on said power plant, a plurality of openings in said metersupporting plate, a plurality of pins extending downwardly from thebottom of said meter through said openings, head means formed on thelower ends of each of said pins, said meter being slid on said metersupporting plate as it is moved into operative position on said powerplant, members on said supporting plate for engaging the heads of saidpins to partially withdraw them from said meter as said meter is slidinto operative position on said supporting plate, locking means forlooking the mechanism of said meter, means operatively connecting saidlocking means and said pins, movement of said pins by said membersmoving said locking means to unlocked position.

7. In mechanism of the type described in claim 6 a locking pin, meansoperatively connecting said locking pin with one of said first-mentionedpins, said locking pin being moved downwardly into locking engagementwith said supporting plate when said first-mentioned pins are moved tounlocked position whereby said meter is locked to said power plant whensaid first-mentioned pins are in unlocked position.

8. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine, including a meterand a power plant, said meter being detachably mounted on said powerplant, in combination, a control member extending outwardly from thehousing of said meter, meter locking means controlled by said controlmemzber, means mounted on said power plant for actuating said controlmember to unlock said meter locking means when said meter is mounted onsaid power plant, a pin mounted on said meter, means operativelyconnecting said control member and said pin, said pin being moved intolocking engagement with said power plant when said control member ismoved to an unlocked position, whereby said meter may not be removedfrom said power plant until said control member is moved to lockedposition.

9. In locking mechanism for a mail treating machine, including a meterand a power plant, said meter being detachably mounted on said powerplant, in combination, a meter locking member mounted on said meter. oneend of said meter locking member extending outwardly from the casing ofsaid meter, a shaft directly connected to the main driving shaft of saidmeter, a collar mounted on said shaft, said collar having a recessformed therein, a head portion formed on said control member, means toresiliently urge said head portion into said recess, means on said powerplant for withdrawing said control member from locked position when saidmeter is being mounted on said power plant, said recess having aprojecting portion, said projecting portion moving under the head ofsaid control member if said meter is operated without withdrawing saidcontrol member from said meter, said projecting portion locking saidcontrol mem'- ber in a meter locking position thus preventing furtheroperation of the meter.

COMMODORE D. RYAN.

HARRY L. SAGER.

ERNEST R. BERGMARK.

HERSCHEL L. ATHERTON. Executor of the Estate of Frank P. Sager,

deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,873,283 Mack Sept. 20. 19322,056,315 Finfrock et al Oct. 6, 1936 2,141,119 Wheeler, Jr, et a1. Dec.20, 1938 2,168,457 Strother Aug. 8, 1939 2,356,699 Rowan et al. W Aug.22, 1944

